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Welcoming Efforts to Reform Copyright

April 24, 2013

At a recent Library of Congress event celebrating World Intellectual Property Day, U.S. House Judiciary Chairman Goodlatte announced his intention to hold a series of hearings on copyright law reform. To be sure, we welcome a public conversation about modernizing the copyright laws. The Chairman is certainly right that advances in technology, the emergence of new business models, and a whole range of changes in the marketplace generally have left some key elements of the copyright laws outdated.

We share the view that our laws must be modern, streamlined and ensure that all creators are paid a fair market rate for their work. They must work more efficiently -- not only for creators, but for users and service providers as well. At the same time, a right with no recourse is no right at all. Laws like the DMCA must work for creators too, to allow digital music services to flourish.

It's clear that no matter how this conversation shakes out, any result should be a balanced approach. All stakeholders will need to work together if there's any hope of achieving the vision of the Chairman and the Register.